Episode 3 Celebrity MasterChef

Celebrity MasterChef.

We've got ourselves 20 celebrities

who want to show us how good they are in the kitchen.

I'm terrified about cooking for John and Gregg.

Many of them can sing, dance, act. We don't care about that.

What we care about is whether they can cook.

I'll just hope for the best,

otherwise I'll be going tonight!

I am taking it deadly seriously.

Who's not just going to be a flash in a pan?

Light the oven, set the stove, sharpen your knives, let's go.

These five celebrities are taking on the challenge to become

the next MasterChef champion.

But at the end of today, only the best cooks will make it through.

Very excited to be involved in the MasterChef competition.

And then it arrives

and you realise you haven't done anything apart from open

a tin of baked beans for two years.

I cook every day, cos if we don't eat, we die.

So I suppose you've got to cook to live.

I'm going to feel like I am in a pressure cooker,

but it'll be all right, I think. Hopefully.

Cooking for John and Gregg - quite nerve-racking.

I'm like a rabbit in headlights sometimes

so you might see me with pure fear, just standing there,

not knowing what to do.

Hopefully I might be able to sabotage one of their meals

and that might get me through,

because if you're not caught, it's not cheating.

Oh!

Welcome to Celebrity MasterChef...

..your chance to show the whole country

what a marvellous cook you are.

This is a mystery box.

Under that box, you all have a set of ingredients,

you have the same ingredients,

and we're going to ask you to cook for us

one dish in 50 minutes.

It could be sweet, it could be savoury - it's totally up to you.

Ladies and gentlemen, reveal your ingredients.

-AMELLE:

-Oh!

The celebrities have been given

a box of ingredients from Southeast Asia,

including king prawns, chilli,

noodles, rice,

Thai shallots, water chestnuts,

mango,

and a selection of sauces, herbs and spices.

Ladies and gentlemen, 50 minutes,

let's cook.

What the hell are these?

Very, very broad brush strokes, these are.

The fact you have actually written some notes is impressive!

Yeah(!)

Musician-turned-vicar Richard Coles

was once half of the 1980s pop duo the Communards.

I had my first-ever cookery anxiety dream last night.

I can't remember what was on

but it was something I had to get out the oven

and it was too late, and it had all gone horribly wrong.

So let's hope that's not a prophecy.

Richard, you look remarkably comfortable.

Yes. Beneath that exterior, there is a palpitating heart

-and a lot of adrenaline happening.

-What are you going to cook?

I think I'm going to do something prawn-y,

something with coconut milk and coriander, and maybe a bit of rice.

-Something simple but delicious, I hope.

-So, you're quite comfortable with this?

Yeah. There are a couple of things missing, which will throw me a bit.

-What's missing?

-Some kind of shallot-y, onion-y thing.

-Oh, right!

-And what else were you looking for?

Some inspiration. If you've got any of that, I'd be grateful.

Well, mate, if you can't get it...

I used it all up this week already!

He's got a plan. He knows he's going to cook rice and a prawn dish.

It's now making sure it's full of flavour.

Do I take them off, or do I leave them on?

-Forget it. Here we go.

-You're not peeling them.

-No.

R&B band Blue's Simon Webbe enjoys cooking simple but tasty meals.

I'm more of that seven-minute meal man.

I can marinate my chicken, put my broccoli in the microwave

and in seven minutes I can time it all right

and I'm sitting at the table eating my food.

But to do something like this

will probably need a little bit more professionalism.

-Si, we met before on Strictly.

-Yeah.

-What I want to know is,

are you going to spend longer cooking than I did dancing?

Hopefully, yes.

Hopefully, I'll still be in the second round.

But this has thrown me off,

because I've never done Southeast Asian food before.

So, what do you plan on making and how are you going to do it?

I don't know. I really don't know.

I'm just going to put a load of things in here

-and hope that it all comes together nicely.

-Seriously?

Seriously.

Right. John will be tasting your food first, Simon!

-All right.

-Best of luck.

-All right. Thank you.

Oh, here we go.

He's got some prawns, vegetables,

garlic and ginger, and he's making some stir-fry.

I think that Simon knows exactly what he's up to.

You're halfway. You've got 25 minutes left.

Time for half an orange, Neil.

Neil Back is former England rugby captain

and 2003 World Cup winner.

I enter things to win it.

One of my mantras in life is, "never fail through lack of effort,"

so there'll be plenty of effort and if I'm not good enough,

it's because I'm not good enough.

-Do you do much cooking at home?

-I do cook from time to time.

I do throw my hand up there to do the Sunday roast.

How did you feel when you opened the box?

I know what I'm going to cook,

-but I'm not going to share that with you now.

-Why?

-It may change!

Look, what do you fancy doing?

I thought of a stir-fry but it might end up in an omelette.

A tasty, nutritional omelette.

I don't want to put you under any pressure,

but two of your team-mates have won this competition,

Phil Vickery and Matt Dawson.

They have. I am blatantly aware of that

and I wish you hadn't reminded me!

Right now, from Neil, he's crushed some garlic, peeled a few prawns,

played around with a few ingredients

but what he's going to deliver, I'm not quite sure.

The reason is, nor is he.

15 minutes.

I'm enjoying this! I haven't eaten your food yet, though.

That's the thing, innit?

Former member of the pop group Sugababes,

Amelle Berrabah only recently got back into cooking.

Being in Sugababes for eight years, I hardly ever cooked.

So it's actually really nice to be able just to cook again.

Normally, it goes well.

Amelle, you look very comfortable, you look very happy. Are you?

I was a little bit scared as soon as I saw it.

I was like, "I haven't done prawns in ages!"

But I've done a little bit of rice, I do rice quite often.

-Normally it works.

-Was there lots of cooking when you were growing up?

Loads. I come from a Moroccan family,

so food is a very big deal in Moroccan culture.

So I have always watched my mum cooking,

and she told me to do little jobs like, "Chop this quickly."

-Amelle, you're a cook.

-Hopefully, you'll like it.

-Yeah.

-Thank you.

Amelle is full of confidence.

She's cooking prawns, whole slice of lemon...

I do know that if the rice is done well,

I'll be very, very happy

because there's not much worse than gluggy rice.

As I tend to my dodgy rice...

Laila Morse is one of EastEnders' longest-serving cast members.

I'm not an experimental person in the kitchen, no.

So I can have ham, egg and chips,

sausages, mash and onions,

stuffed hearts...

So I'm just a plain, ordinary cook, I suppose.

-Laila, you're from Bermondsey.

-Yeah.

-So am I.

-Are you?

-Did you used to go down the Old Kent Road?

-Yeah...

-I just wondered if me and you might've had a snog

-behind a bus shelter one afternoon.

-You never know.

What about this stuff? Do you cook this at home?

No! I don't even know what I've put in here, half of it.

I've just looked at it, cut it up and shoved it in.

What would you say you're cooking now?

Prawns with a mixture of Chinese chestnuts, a bit of coriander.

-What are you going to serve it with?

-There's a bit of lettuce there.

I could put that on a plate and put that on top of it.

You remind me of a school dinner lady.

SHE LAUGHS

I really like Laila's approach.

She's never cooked with many of the ingredients,

so what she's done is taken the things she knows.

She's peeled her prawns, prepared them properly,

chopped everything up with care.

Let's just hope it tastes really good.

I think that's done.

This has got to be THE worst rice I think I've ever done.

You've got three minutes left.

I suggest you get it on a plate, in a bowl.

You've got three minutes.

There's very little I can do, beyond what I've already done, I think.

So it's going to happen.

It is what it is. But they might like it, so...you never know.

That's it, stop! Stop. Your time's up.

I don't know what I did.

HE LAUGHS

-I'm still shaking.

-I didn't even know what half the stuff was there.

-That's really nice.

-That's just aesthetic.

-But it's very nice.

-Well...

-Cheffy.

First up is actor Laila, who's made a stir-fry of prawns, bean sprouts,

mushrooms, water chestnuts, ginger, garlic and coriander.

Why have we got it in two piles?

-I don't know!

-Is it a his and hers?

It could be, if you want it to be!

-I don't know why you did that.

-It looks a bit silly, doesn't it?

I can taste a fair bit of ginger, a fair amount of garlic.

That's powerful. This isn't your normal style of food.

I think you've been very brave with this, and I really like it.

-Thank you.

-You can taste the mushrooms, they're strong.

The prawns are cooked beautifully, lots and lots of herbs.

It's a tasty, tasty thing.

I like the prawns a LOT.

Thank you.

Well done. See, you surprised yourself there!

Yeah, I feel more relieved now that's done,

but no way that I'm going to say,

"Well, yeah, I feel comfortable," cos I still don't, you know?

That's just me.

Former model and singer Simon has cooked prawns with fresh mango,

served with udon noodles, mushrooms, bean sprouts, chilli,

peanut butter, lime and coriander.

Whoa!

You've got heat in there, you've got the natural sweetness of prawns,

you've got a lot of sharp lime, which I really like.

It's nicely seasoned. I think your flavours are good.

It's just... Your dish is scruffy.

What you've actually got here is the flavours of a satay.

Peanut butter, the lovely prawns. They're cooked really, really well.

The only weird thing is mango.

Mango and prawns is not something I've had before.

-Nor do I want again.

-Right.

Oh, I definitely winged it today,

because I've never done a stir-fry, and it turned out all right.

Former rugby player Neil has cooked king prawns with broccoli,

bean sprouts, chilli, cashew nuts mushrooms and Chinese leaves,

served with rice and a chilli fish sauce.

I haven't eaten it yet, but I'm impressed.

Impressed by how that looks.

I love the rice. I think the rice and your fish sauce on the side is great.

-Thank you.

-You've got the lovely flavour of those woody mushrooms

and the sweet, salty prawns.

The cabbage is releasing juice from the vegetables, it's great.

Crunch of nuts is wonderful.

I love the sweet crunch

of all those vegetables that you've cooked really, really gently.

Your flavours are great. You've got saltiness, ginger, garlic.

-Really good. Really, really good.

-Thanks very much.

-Good job.

Thank you.

Oh, my God,

I was so nervous, but I'm pleased with my performance.

I didn't know what to expect.

It was walking into the unknown, but I'm happy with my start.

Ex-Sugababe Amelle has done a stir-fry of king prawns, broccoli,

bean sprouts and pak choi, coated in sesame seeds, and served with rice.

Your prawns are sweet and nicely cooked.

You've got a smoky flavour, but most of that's on the shell.

Your vegetables are sympathetically cooked, they've still got a crunch,

and they've got lovely sesame all over them.

The one thing that I can't quite work out is your rice.

-Yeah, I knew you were going to say that.

-It's really gluggy.

There is a sound that I don't normally associate with rice,

-which you have, which is...boing!

-Oh...

I actually can't believe it, I'm looking at it going,

"I can't believe it!" Honestly.

Amelle, I've got a feeling you've had a bit of first-day nerves.

Yeah, I'd say I did, yeah. Thank you very much.

Oh...

I found that challenge pretty tough, to be honest.

I wish I'd just handled the rice better, I really do.

Finally, vicar Richard has cooked king prawns, broccoli, bean sprouts,

cashew nuts and Thai shallots in coconut milk, served with rice.

Your rice is nicely cooked.

The sauce that the rice has soaked up gives lots of flavour.

Your prawns are brilliantly cooked, your vegetables are nice.

-Not bad at all. Well done.

-Thanks.

-Unmistakably the flavours of Asia.

Saltiness from the prawns, lots and lots of vegetables.

You've got real pungent ginger in the background as well.

-I think that's great.

-Well done.

-I'd say that's a pretty good start, mate.

-Thank you.

I don't think I've ever been put on the spot in that way before,

but it's good to have had that baptism of fire

because now I think I won't be quite so overwhelmed by it.

What I think is really fascinating about this round

is that most of them said, "I don't really cook Asian flavours."

Well, they seemed to deliver them.

And that fills me with confidence.

There's promise in here.

I think we've got two really good cooks.

We'll find out soon enough.

Let's see how they get on in a professional kitchen.

It's day two...

..and the five celebrities have been split into two groups.

They're on their way to a busy London restaurant.

I'm absolutely cacking myself.

What if a meal's prepared and it's sent back?

I'll go, "Oi, Eat that or you'll wear it!"

LAUGHTER

Yeah!

Laila, Neil and Simon will be cooking at Zebrano...

..a modern European restaurant in the City of London.

-Oh, my God!

-Zebrano. Is that Italian?

Service will be run by executive chef Chris McCormick.

-Morning, guys.

-Hello.

Very busy lunch today. Today is all about keeping the standards.

If it's not good enough, it will come straight back.

OK? Let's crack on.

Laila will be in charge of the starter -

braised pork cheeks,

Mangalitsa black pudding, apple and pickled girolles.

Just drop these in, just to warm them through.

-We don't want any colour on them.

-What are they, like mushrooms?

-Yeah.

Don't colour the black pudding too much.

Pork cheeks.

-Nice glaze.

-And it's thickening up as well, innit?

-Yes.

That's where you want to stop.

Plating.

Black pudding in the middle,

a couple of blobs of apple puree...

..then we've got some pork skin, which we've dehydrated

and then deep-fried.

So, there we have it - some braised pork cheek,

black pudding and apple.

This is what we are looking for, every single plate.

Do you think you can do this?

I'll have a go.

SHE CHUCKLES

It looks easy, but whether I can do it as good as you,

that's another question. But I'll try.

-I'll try my best to get it like that.

-Excellent.

Simon is responsible for one of the main courses.

His dish is malt-brined beef fillet with braised ox tail...

Slowly glazing your oxtails in the sauce. Yeah?

..charred Savoy cabbage and Roscoff onions.

What's the reason for blackening it?

-So you just get that really charred, roast flavour.

-Right.

The braised oxtail is then placed inside the charred Roscoff onion

and topped with sour cheese-and-onion breadcrumbs.

You can start colouring the beef.

Butter...

Simon will have to cook each beef fillet to order...

Take it out.

..exactly to customers' requirements.

-OK.

-And then we can plate up.

Salsify, two pieces in there.

-Smoked garlic puree.

-Mm-hm.

Sauce - we serve on the side.

It goes to the table.

You just pour...

Yeah? Really nice, clean...

That's what a steak's supposed to look like.

My word. I can't believe I'm going to be doing this.

I hope it tastes as good when I do it.

Neil will be in charge of the seared halibut...

-Very technical dish.

-Yeah.

-Timing is very crucial.

-OK.

Because we cannot wait on the fish.

..and wild mushrooms served with polenta and Jerusalem artichokes.

Is that colour good or...

Yeah, that's the colour you want, that you're looking for.

You've got artichoke puree...

Check the fish.

Nice golden crust.

Wild mushrooms.

And then we finish it off - because there's no sauce -

with a little rapeseed oil. Do you think you can manage that?

-I'll give it a go. Are you going to show me again?

-No.

-Oh!

Everything you see on this plate now will be on my plate,

but whether it looks like that and tastes like that

will be a different matter.

Across town in the West End,

Richard and Amelle are arriving at Asia de Cuba...

..which serves dishes inspired by old Havana's Chinatown.

Running the pass is Cuban-born executive chef...

-Hi, guys.

-Hello!

-Good afternoon!

..Luis Pous.

OK, guys, we've got between 60 to 80 covers today.

Our customers have high expectations on our food,

-so you guys better deliver, OK.

-Of course!

-So, welcome.

We'll try. Thank you.

Richard will be in charge of the wok-seared scallops starter.

The wok is not an easy thing to do.

-It's the most challenging station in my kitchen.

-OK.

You add the chilli at the end, so it doesn't get burned.

You've got to be careful that you don't overcook it.

See how beautiful the colour is?

You let it sit right here.

You salt...

The scallops are served with black rice,

black beans and roasted cauliflower.

-The most important thing here is that you don't burn the rice. All right?

-Yeah.

The most you can do is two at a time,

-if you've got skills.

-If you've got skills...

-You don't have skills?

-No.

-OK, so you do one at a time.

-OK!

We're ready to plate right now.

We just put a little bit of garlic aioli on the bottom.

Nice colourful dish.

-Smells delicious, huh?

-Really good.

A little bit of chives, put a little bit more garlic aioli.

This is one of the most popular dishes.

Make sure you do it correct every time.

-OK?

-Yeah.

-There you have it.

Chilli-rubbed scallops with black rice and black beans.

-This is the hardest station in the restaurant.

-OK.

So it's going to be a hard day for you, I can see it coming.

-All right. Thanks, Chef. I'll try not to ruin it.

-OK.

I'm not confident I can reach these levels.

I'll just try not to burn the restaurant down. Burn myself!

Can I have a taxi home, please?

Amelle's dish is cumin-crusted tuna steak with white bean puree,

spinach in a confit garlic vinaigrette,

and a chorizo and shallot oil.

Wow! It smells amazing.

Now, we're going to go to sear, which is the most important part.

-OK.

-We like it medium rare.

It's very, very easy to overcook it in the heat of the moment,

when you're very busy. So when it's overcooked, it's done.

-You waste your fish.

-You ruin it.

-You ruin our costs, if you don't take care of it.

-Oh, no!

See, it's perfect, so you start the tuna.

Cut the first part, there you go.

Start and then hold it, OK?

Start...

Oh, golly gosh.

You put the white bean puree...

Just a little bit of the chorizo...

And then you get the oil.

This is the dish, OK?

-Oh, wow!

-You've got to make sure they all look like that.

OK, I'll try my best.

-Yeah.

-The customers expect them to be this way so...

OK, yep, I can do this, guys. It's going to be all right.

HE LAUGHS

It's midday, and across London lunch service is moments away.

-Good luck, Richard.

-Thank you very much.

Mwah, mwah.

Over in the City...

All right, guys, first check.

Three covers. One pork, one goat's cheese, one scallop.

Main course - two beef and a halibut.

-Ready.

-OK, Chef.

Laila is first to step up with her pork cheek starter.

SHE SIGHS

All right, Laila, how long?

-How long for the first one?

-Erm....

I don't know.

Five minutes?

Oh, dear.

You need to pick it up a little bit, yeah? Laila?

-Laila?

-Yeah, yeah, I'm listening.

-You need to answer me so I know that you've heard me.

-Sorry. Yes, Chef.

Right, remember how I plated it?

Yeah, well, I'm trying to, so...

-Go on, go on, go on. Quick, quick.

-I know. My hands are shaking.

You don't need to be nervous, Laila.

Well, there is, when you've never done it before.

I think this is worse than having a baby.

Service, please.

Hey, Laila, really good start.

-Oh, wow!

-So you just need to pick up the pace a little bit.

-OK.

Simon and Neil are up next with their main courses.

OK, let's go.

Three beef - one well done, one medium - and two halibut.

-Yes, Chef.

-How long?

-Six minutes.

-Six minutes.

It needs to come together, guys.

Neil and Simon must now coordinate their orders

so they come to the pass at the same time.

I don't know what I'm doing now I'm talking. Erm, right, oil.

I'm under so much pressure to get it done

and I've got to remember that one of these has got to be well done.

-Neil, get that first halibut off.

-OK.

-Get it turned...

Get it turned and get it off.

You need to start them artichokes again, Neil.

-Too dark, yeah?

-Yeah.

-Start again.

Yeah, it's a bit feisty, but there's no blood yet.

-How long now, Simon?

-Give me three minutes.

-OK.

-Three minutes. What do I do next? What do I do next?

Argh! These things keep sliding out my hands!

Nearly there, nearly there.

Oh, man, they wanted it well done.

Sorry, mate.

No, don't squeeze it. That's it. Get it off.

Yeah? You know how to plate it, yeah? You remember?

Sorry, Chef. Yes, Chef.

It's all getting cold. You need to be together.

-Quickly, quickly.

-You all right there, mate?

You need to be a lot more delicate when you're plating.

Right, sauce?

Rapeseed oil.

-Whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa! That's enough.

-That's perfect, Chef.

It's not perfect.

You'll get better on the next one. Right, one more halibut, yeah?

Let's go.

Starters gone on two beef and a halibut.

-Away.

-Five minutes on yours, yeah?

-It's getting harder and harder.

-Yeah.

Over in the West End...

All right, guys, it's about crunch time now, OK?

So it's going to get serious, all right?

-Yes, Chef.

-..service is in full swing for Amelle and Richard.

-It's about to get ugly.

-Yes, Chef.

Amelle, you've got a total of seven or eight right now.

-Eight, I think, no?

-Yeah, eight tunas, Chef.

With so many orders on, Amelle must make sure she maintains

the high standards of the restaurant.

Yeah, this is really hard.

Each tuna steak must be cooked medium rare...

..before being delicately cut into perfect slices.

Move the knife, don't smash the tuna.

-I'm so sorry.

-Being sorry's not going to fix it.

Just take your time and do it right, OK?

OK, Chef. I'm not happy at all, to be honest.

I don't think he's even going to want to serve this.

No!

I've really messed this one up.

I've basically forgotten to do this first...

so I've had to re-plate.

I can't actually believe it.

We're waiting for one tuna only, OK?

Coming now, Chef.

OK, Amelle, come over here. Stop, stop, stop, stop.

OK, look, it's not even centred.

The tuna's all smashed up.

This is not what I showed you, OK?

-Let's do it again.

-Do it again.

-This cannot go out like that.

-OK?

-Yes, Chef.

I am disappointed. That is just wrong,

absolute wrong,

so I've got to get it right this time,

otherwise he's going to go mental.

On the other side of the kitchen,

Richard is battling with the heat of the wok station.

When you see the smoke, lower the heat a bit cos you want to sear,

-you don't want to burn them, OK?

-OK.

I'm happy with this one so far.

Give me a clean plate. Look at this, give me a clean plate.

I can clean a little bit, I don't have to clean it all.

OK?

Richard? It's good, OK?

-Keep it up.

-Thanks, Chef.

Amelle is now hoping she can deliver a faultless dish.

-Let's go!

-Yeah, coming now, Chef.

-All right.

Much better, keep it up.

We've got 20 more to go, all right?

THEY LAUGH

Back at Zebrano...

..the dining room is full and service is at its busiest.

-There we go.

-But Laila is taking it in her stride.

-One more pork, yeah?

-Yeah, one more pork.

It's no good panicking.

I think it makes it worse.

However, Simon and Neil are still finding the pressure of service

tough to deal with.

Simon is confused with his orders.

One beef, yeah? That's all I need?

-Take it off.

-Oh, man!

I would have thought, yeah, in my mind, it's going to get easier,

but I'm still panicking like I was right at the beginning.

And Neil is continuing to struggle with the temperature of the plancha.

Get that bit off. Don't have it sitting here.

It is tough. Anyway, we are where we are.

One beef, one halibut. Five minutes on the pass.

-Away.

-Yeah?

OK.

OK, Laila, last table. Make sure it's your best one, yeah?

All right.

You're like a natural.

-All right?

-Superb, well done.

-Thank you very much.

-Oh, there's another mushroom.

Ooh, shove that in there.

-Fantastic! Well done.

-Good!

I'm pleased with myself.

-Thank you!

-You should be.

-Thank you.

I thought that was absolutely brilliant.

I didn't think I could do that.

I haven't got anything sent back.

It's good.

Guys, last table, yeah?

Let's make it the best one yet, yeah?

Right, Chef. Yes, Chef.

No time! Last order. Talk to me afterwards.

I'm right in amongst it now.

Come on, guys, that's it.

Last push.

You can see that you've went through a two-hour service.

-Boom!

-That IS your best one yet.

Quality! Well done.

-Nearly there.

-I'm sure I've lost a few pounds today.

I was in panic mode most of the time.

But by the end, he said, "Well done,"

and that's what I'm happy with and that's what I've gotten out of it.

Someone's lucky to eat this.

Service. Fantastic.

-Neil...

-Cheers. An absolute pleasure.

-Superb.

-Thank you.

A bit emotional!

It was absolutely fantastic.

Across town,

service is also drawing to a close.

I'm doing a double portion.

I like wok cooking, although I've never done it properly before,

but I like it.

-Richard, you're doing good, you're doing good.

-Yes, Chef.

Two scallops.

Hey, Richard? Well done, man, let's go, let's keep going.

-Thank you, Chef.

-I'm missing one scallop, I'm missing one tuna, OK?

-That's going to be your last ticket, all right?

-Yes, Chef.

For Amelle, it's her final chance to perfect

the plating of her tuna dish.

It's about being at one with the tuna!

You can almost feel that it's going to go right.

All right, that's the last dish, OK? Bring it up.

-Oh, my God, it's the best one!

-Yay!

You finally get it. Unfortunately, it's the last one!

Let's give a high-five up here.

-Oh, yeah!

-Thank you.

-Thank you.

I was scared, nervous, really stressed,

but after my really dodgy tuna,

I actually got better and better so, yeah, it was good.

Exhausting, but really good fun, and when you're in the thick of it,

you're just completely absorbed in it. It's great.

I'm obviously going to install a wok station in my vicarage.

That's the next big thing.

Welcome back, guys.

This is the first time we get to see you cook YOUR dishes.

We want something great

because you've had a chance to practise this.

Ladies and gentlemen, you've got one hour.

At the end of this, one of you is going home.

Let's cook.

My tactic today would be -

cook the best you can and make it look presentable.

Yeah, I've got a few things up my sleeve.

Laila, how did you get on in the pro kitchen?

Well, to be quite honest, I don't want to blow my own trumpet,

but I did everything perfect and the chef said, "Absolutely marvellous."

Well, what are you making?

I've got a prawn and avocado cocktail,

and for the main, I've got steak, tomatoes on the vine,

with a mushroom, cream and brandy sauce for the steak, and chips.

Mate, it takes me back to 1979.

In one of the pubs!

Laila is going to make us crowd-pleasers.

Fantastic.

If she gets these two dishes right,

they are going to be truly delicious.

You do everything with your hands, you know?

Put your soul into it, yeah.

I'm massaging the meat, nice.

-Simon, what are you making?

-Today, for a starter,

I'm making ackee and saltfish.

For the main, I'm making curried mutton with rice and peas.

Very, very Caribbean dishes.

-Yeah, it is, yeah.

-Why these dishes?

It's just something that's packed with flavour, it's powerful,

the colours as well, and hopefully it'll give you a kick in the mouth.

How many times have you cooked these dishes? Not eaten them, cooked them.

-First time.

-Oh, Simon...

I know. But you know me, I like to throw myself into the deep end.

Let me put myself under pressure and see how it comes out.

Isn't that how all chefs start?

Actually, no, but good guess.

No? OK!

I'm surprised Simon hasn't practised because dishes like a mutton curry

take a long time to get right.

You don't want a chilli mutton stew with not enough spice,

with badly cooked rice.

I believe I become the best version of myself when I'm under pressure.

I've been told how to do it. I just hope I can basically pull it off.

I've set myself quite a tough challenge

and the time is the key factor

because I know I can produce the dish,

but can I do it within the hour?

You've had 20 minutes, all right? You've got 40 minutes left.

I bet you're thinking, "Oh, don't come and talk to me now, I'm busy."

Absolutely, but always a pleasure to talk to you, Gregg.

You lie so well, Neil.

What are the two dishes that are going to propel you through to the next round?

I've got a salmon and spinach curry

and then I'm going to give you a lovely lemon mousse.

A lemon mousse? That's a tricky thing to do, mate.

-It is tricky.

-How many times have you made a lemon mousse before?

Erm, twice.

-Is today the second?

-Yes!

-It's all about preparation, then, mate, is it?

-Wish me luck.

Neil's salmon curry - I think it's a tricky thing.

The spinach has to be vibrant green, but cooked all the way through,

but the salmon has to be not too dry.

It is quite scary that I could be sent home today.

If they don't like it, they don't like it.

I'm not going to start crying in the corner of MasterChef kitchen,

but I would really like to go through.

I love the ingredients you've got here.

Are we going to get something Middle Eastern from you?

Yes, you're going to get Amira's Moroccan chicken.

-Who's Amira?

-My mum's nickname. It means "princess" in Arabic.

I know you're not a princess, but you're a prince.

-John Torode has his moments.

-Yes, exactly, I thought of him.

The starter is little bite-sizes of chicken cooked with olives,

and then for main, I'm doing lamb chops with some couscous

-and a chickpea salad.

-So, why bring these two dishes into play now?

Because it's so full of flavour and the mint really complements the lamb

-as well.

-There are fewer combinations

-I love more in the world than mint and lamb.

-Oh, good!

-But don't disappoint me.

-Yeah, exactly, I'll try not to.

Amelle might be a Sugababe, but I think, right now,

she's more of a Spice Girl.

The lamb chop, they've got a little layer of fat on the outside

and that fat's got to be crispy, and the meat itself should be pink.

It's quite complex food, Moroccan food, but if it's done properly,

it's really, really delicious.

You guys are halfway. 30 minutes gone, 30 minutes left.

Presentation is not really my strong point in so many ways.

I'm going to sort of... "Pimp my ride," I believe the expression is,

so I'm going to pimp my dishes today a little bit.

What are you making now?

I'm going to poach a nice piece of smoked haddock,

sitting on a bed of chickpeas, with a broth round it, which is rich.

Is this an invention of yours?

-It is an invention of mine.

-Yeah, OK, and what's your other course?

My other course is an English classic - devilled kidneys.

-That's your starter?

-Yep.

OK, and how do you feel now about the competition?

I'm really loving it, actually.

It's nice, cooking in a sort of competitive way and under pressure.

I've enjoyed that so far.

Richard, love the sound of the traditional kidneys.

-The invention of the haddock, I'm looking forward to.

-Oh, dear!

A kidney can be really hard and really rubbery and really strong,

so they've got to be cooked just so.

And I hope he does it justice.

You have got just five minutes left.

I'm just hoping, fingers crossed, that it's come out how I want it to.

It's going to be OK, guys, it's going to be OK.

Come on, please!

Stop! Finished!

-It's all over.

-AMELLE:

-Oh, lovely, Laila.

Look at you, pulling out all the stops.

(I told you - you're a cheeky one. I've got my eye on you.)

I've got my eye on you!

Neil, come and bring your food up here, please.

Neil's main course is a salmon and spinach curry

served with basmati rice

and a cucumber raita.

Your salmon is nicely cooked, it's really soft.

It's flaky, it's lovely.

You've got sweet notes, you've got spicy notes.

You've also got pickly notes. Decent job.

Everything is cooked very well, Neil.

-Thank you.

-I like the fact the spinach is still vibrant green.

Your rice is cooked nicely,

I like the raita, and I think it's well presented. Good job.

Neil's dessert is a lemon mousse.

That's lovely. Very simple, lovely.

Lovely light mousse,

but you can taste that lovely sharpness of lemon.

After the curry, it works a treat.

For me, I'd like a biscuit or something on the side,

just so I can stick my biscuit in and eat it.

You've got the balance of sweetness and citrus absolutely right there.

That's good. Well done.

These are two accomplished, good-looking dishes.

Thank you.

I'm happy. I genuinely am happy.

But I'll be happier knowing I've gone through.

Laila, come and bring your food up.

Laila's starter is prawn cocktail with avocado and a Marie Rose sauce.

What's that? Tarragon?

That was just a little bit of, erm, something I plonked on there.

-Where did you get it from?

-It was off the...

-Off the end of what?

-The carrots.

It's a carrot top? Why on earth have you thrown

a load of carrot tops in your prawn cocktail for?

I don't know. What are we going to do with you?

Your Marie Rose sauce is thick, rich, sweet and slightly sharp.

Very, very lovely. That with the slippery, oily avocado is wonderful.

You've overcooked those prawns.

I don't think you need to fry the prawns when you make this.

I think what you need to do is just blanch them really quickly

and then you get the lovely softness of the prawn.

For the main course, Laila's served a fillet steak in a peppercorn,

mushroom and brandy sauce, served with chips and vine tomatoes.

Chips are good - crispy on the outside,

fluffy in the middle. Very nice. The steak is cooked nicely.

It's pink in the middle, you've got it crisping on the outside.

That's lovely.

Your mushroom brandy sauce could just do with a little bit

more of a punch, because the essence of this dish is great.

I think you're a really decent cook.

-I reckon you just put a little more...

-Oomph in it?

-Yeah.

I think it went OK.

Well done.

Hmm, I don't know if I've done enough, really.

I'm not building my hopes up.

Amelle, up you come.

There you go.

Amelle's starter is Moroccan chicken with peppers, olives, onions,

mint, ginger and preserved lemons, served with flatbread.

I can get that unmistakable sharpness of preserved lemon.

It's a beautiful flavour.

-Yeah.

-And I can also get the saltiness of olives.

But it's not bursting out of that bowl with flavour.

Yeah, I understand.

The chicken could be moist and it's a little bit overcooked.

There could be more herbs. There could be more sauce.

It could be more unctuous.

But...saying that,

-I think the ingredients you've used are brilliant.

-Thank you.

Amelle's main is Moroccan spiced lamb chops with a chickpea salad

and couscous.

The couscous is light and loose. It's not sticking together.

That's very good.

-I love the chickpeas with the odd bit of sharp onion...

-Good.

..and the salty cheese, I love that.

The lamb's cooked OK in the middle.

You need to get the pan a lot hotter and get it on this fat.

-The fat in here is white.

-Yeah, and it should be nice and golden.

I like the mint across the top. The flavour of the chickpeas

with the salty feta and the onion is lovely.

The couscous is cooked really, really well.

You use great ingredients.

You cooked them really sympathetically,

-but you CAN be a bit bolder.

-OK.

I don't get upset if someone's giving me bad feedback.

It's just the truth, and I have to learn from it.

So I hope it's just enough today, to be honest.

Richard, do, please, come and join us.

Richard's starter is devilled kidneys

in white wine and Worcestershire sauce,

served with watercress and Melba toast.

Your kidneys are quite rare. I'm more than happy with that.

Your sauce is good.

I really would like that on a great big chunk of thick toast.

What I like about this dish

is just a few ingredients really looked after very nicely.

Watercress dressed sympathetically with a bit of vinegar and

a touch of oil. White wine,

Worcestershire sauce to make your sauce for the kidneys.

Your cooking is really good, really sound.

Richard's main is smoked haddock with chickpeas,

and a baby leek, baby carrot, chilli and parsley broth.

I love the smokiness of the fish with the flavoured broth

and delicate little green vegetables.

I don't like the chickpeas.

-Yes.

-It's a big chunky texture that I don't think adds to the dish.

Lovely clear broth, sweet spring vegetables,

a piece of fish poached gently - your food looks clean,

you get flavour out of things, and I really like that.

It was an honest effort

and they said nice things in the right places.

I really valued that and I thought they were fair, too.

Simon, your turn, please, sir.

That's not a good start, is it?

For his starter, Simon's cooked ackee and saltfish, with peppers,

onions and celery, served with cream crackers.

That's too big, for me, for a starter.

I like the textures, I like the sauciness of it.

I like the crisp flavour of the sweeter peppers.

I'd like a load of chilli sauce across the top of it.

-We need more heat.

-You can be, I think, a little bit more bold.

Like Gregg, I want more spice.

For his main,

Simon has served Caribbean curried mutton, with rice and peas.

Again, like I wanted chilli with your saltfish,

I want some more heat. I want some more spice going on.

Listen, mate, Caribbean food is... you know, it's spicy.

-Yeah.

-I think we're lacking a little bit of flavour.

The mutton is going a little bit dry

because I think that sauce needs to be thicker.

You're going to give me a curry with mutton - I want curry.

And right now, it's a sort of saucy thing.

-Yeah.

-I think you just need to be bolder and braver with the flavours.

Yes, sir.

They said they would like a little bit more oomph and spice.

I definitely agree with that.

But that's what happens under pressure sometimes -

you forget stuff.

In there, everything just goes out the window.

Gregg and I have to make a decision because one of you is going home.

So, give us a chance. We'll call you back in as soon as we possibly can.

-Thank you.

-Thanks very much.

What are we going to do? I'll tell you who I think the best cooks are.

-Yeah, go on.

-Neil Back and Richard.

Richard's trying to get as much out of the ingredients as possible.

He is delivering really good flavour

and his cooking techniques are absolutely sound.

Neil Back's dishes are really nicely presented.

I could find very little wrong with Neil Back's food.

He is obviously going in the right direction.

I like the fact that Laila was bold enough to do what SHE liked,

which was a prawn cocktail, and steak and chips.

It wasn't all plain sailing for Laila,

but I like the fact that she's tackling some classics,

which some people might think are really easy,

but I think they're quite hard to get right.

I am disappointed with Amelle and Simon.

I had really high hopes for Amelle

because all the ingredients she used are wonderful.

But it didn't have the richness that it deserved.

Simon took the fiery heat

and sunshine of the Caribbean and kind of

delivered a grey London street.

Caribbean food, you think spice and sunshine,

and that curry should have been vibrant, and it wasn't.

I've learned a lot about myself.

I'm just that person that likes to dive in and say,

"Well, just get on with it." And I think that's what I did,

but it might have been my mistake this time round.

I'm kind of 50-50.

I honestly am. I can't really tell right this second if I'm one of the

ones to go through, or one of the ones to go home.

But what will be will be.

I think one of those two

is making much more of an effort than the other one.

I think we agree.

Lots of effort put in by you five.

We've had a long chat, John and I.

One of you IS leaving us.

The person leaving us

is...

..Simon.

Simon, thanks, mate. Good to see you again.

Thank you, sir. Good luck, guys.

-Thank you.

-ALL: Bye.

Sad on one side, because I'll never do this again,

but I've had a great time,

had a laugh and wish I could have gone on and learned a lot more.

But sometimes, you can't always be a winner.

Phew!

I'm really chuffed, because I actually thought I was going.

Really happy to be through.

It was a good day. Sorry to see Simon go

because he was our sort of backstage DJ,

so we're going to have to bring in our own tunes now, I guess.

I'm over the moon

because I'm through the first round of MasterChef.

Who would have thought that?

Well surprised, and I'm pleased.

Just got to get over the next step.

That'd be something - when we come back.

Next time, the four celebrities have to work in teams...

-Oh!

-If they don't like it, I'll stick it in their laps.

..as they compete for a place in the semifinals.

I think he knows what he's doing and what he's going to cook.

He's that type of man.

No idea what to do with this.

The dishes have become miracles of confection and delight.

It looks a little bit...dodgy.